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Résumé |
An electron system at low density has an instability toward spontaneous crystallization, called "Wigner
crystallization", due to the Coulomb interaction between electrons. In this talk I first discuss the nature of
the liquid-solid phase transition at zero temperature, which is nominally first-order but which is frustrated
due to the long-ranged Coulomb interactions, which inhibit phase coexistence. I then show how the
traditional Wigner crystal phase can be strongly modified by the presence of Berry phase arising from
Berry curvature in the electronic bands. This Berry phase can lead to a new kinds of orbital and spin
ordering, and potentially to spin liquid phases. I discuss these results in light of recent experiments on
layered 2D materials.
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